Congress slams curb on private vehicles; BJP terms it 'half-baked'

New Delhi: The Delhi government's decision to adopt odd and even number formula for plying of private vehicles came in for sharp criticism from Opposition parties with Congress today describing it as anti-people and BJP dubbing it as half-baked and knee-jerk.

Environmentalist Sunita Narain, however, supported the move, saying pollution in Delhi at a health emergency level and such steps were needed. BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli termed the move as "half- baked and knee-jerk" and said the Delhi government should come out with a "comprehensive" approach.

Congress general secretary and spokesperson Shakeel Ahmad said that Arvind Kejriwal government's decision was aimed at cheap publicity and will cause harassment to the common man."The Kejriwal government practises gimmickry for cheap publicity. This is not practical and will harass the common man," he said.

According to Kohli, it will create problems for self- employed people, doctors and advocates who need private cars for fast movement at a short notice and also for women who prefer the privacy of their cars in odd hours. Does the Kejriwal government have solution for them, he asked. He said it will also be an "implementation nightmare" for agencies like Delhi police which, he added, will be asked to execute the decision.

The vehicles of MPs, MLAs and government officials will be allowed but the common man will be affected, he said. Narain supported the decision and said it should have been implemented immediately. In a radical step to curb alarming air pollution, Delhi Government today restricted plying of private vehicles bearing odd and even registration numbers to alternate days from January 1 in the national capital.